Architecture in Helsinki is that band that I’ve been putting off listening to, mainly due to an unreliable first impression that I had with one of their songs-- probably because, I just didn’t get it. But as my ears grew more selective and I started to comprehend music more differently, I realized that people were raving about this band for a reason, and a very good one too.
I’m still new to this six piece outfit from Melbourne, Australia, having known them from only last year, but I didn’t even make the effort of listening to their previous 2005 standout record, In Case We Die, although it’s definitely going on the pile, I promise. The band makes whimsical pop songs that you’ll either really hate or really love, music that you’ll either get or won’t get, music that’ll either make you go, “What the hell is this?” or-- well, you get the idea. Though all members only hail from the smallest continent in the world, their music sounds like they’ve covered and scoured the world over spanning from calypso, flamenco, baille funk, reggaeton, madrigals, even the genuinely uplifting funk light Burundi beat. Their latest, Places Like This, is filled with tunes that sounds all over the place, driven by inconsistent beats at a manic pace, while impressively displaying a fun-loving quirkiness interwoven through chaotic brilliance.
Take a listen to these three, if you still haven’t, and if you’re still not dancing to any of these by the first listen, which is highly possible anyway, you definitely will by the fifth, or tenth, or…
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